Tracker-bar.



SANDERS.

TRACKER BAR APPLICATION FILED AUG. 4, 1910. RENEWED DE(J.22,1918v Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS M. SANDERS, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T GEORGE HOWLETT DAVIS, OF WEST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.

TRACKER-BAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

Application filed August 4, 1910, Serial No. 575,447. Renewed December 22, 1913. Serial No. 808,272.

To all whom it mag/concern:

Be it known that I, LoUIs M. SANDERS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of Orange, county of Essex, and State 5 of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Tracker-Bar, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

In self-playing musical instruments which make use of a perforated sheet or roll, those of the pneumatic type are provided with a tracker bar which contains a series of pneumatic ducts leading to what are known in the art as pneumatics which in turn actuate the sound producing device of the instrument- In this case the music sheet acts in the nature of a. plurality of valves for the pneumatic ducts closing them when an imperforate portion of the sheet passes over ,the bar and thus rendering the pneumatics- Z0'inactive, and when a perforate portion of the sheet passes over the bft'lfg the corresponding pneumatic ducts are vented and the pneu'matics are actuated to operate the sound producing devices of the instrument. In instruments of the electrical type, it is commonto have the music sheet travel over a metallic roller or bar, upon which bear a plurality of spring-contact fingers, each of which is in electrical circuit with a .30 magnet or motor of some kind for actuating the sound producing devices. Imperforate portions of the music sheet as they are drawn between the contact fingers and bar will break the circuit, while the perforate portions permit the fingers to contact with the bar or roller and thus close the circuit through the actuating motor or device. Each of these systems possesses its disadvantages, the pneumatic system because of 4 the rapid deterioration of the rubber connections between the pneumatic ducts of the tracker bar and the pneumatics and the electrical system because of the liability of the delicate contact fingers to distortion. in

4 placing a music-sheet in position for playing. Each system has many other disadvantages either distinctive or common all of which my improved tracker bar overcomes in a greater or less degree.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification I have shown two embodiments of my invention one designed for use in connection with what is known as 65-note music and the other for SS-note Inusic; but I do not wish to be understood as limiting the structure of my invention to these forms alone, as there are numerous ways in which it may be engrat'tcd upon existing tracker bars and still come within the scope of my invention.

Figure 1 illustrates in cross section my improved -note tracker bar. Fig. 2 is a rear plan view of the same, parts being broken away to show details of construction. Fig. 3 is a crosssection of the SS-note tracker bar. Fig. 4 is a side'plan view of same. Fig. 5 is a side plan with the insulatmg cover removed to show the interior construction.

The tracker bar 1, is provided with the usual air ducts 2-, leading from the face of the bar to the rear where they are laterally extended in to the alternately located or staggered openings 3, 3, 3, 3, etc. Over these openings are placed the reeds or fingers 4, 4, 4, 4;, etc. in such a manner that the openings 3, 3, 3, 3, etc. are normally covered. The reeds or fingered, 4, 4, 4, etc. are formed by taking a strip of very thin elastic metal 5, of a width and length just equal to the rear face of the bar 1, cutting or stamping from it a zig zag strip, so as to leave what may be termed a pair of intermeshing combs the teeth of which are entirely free from each other so far as lateral contact is concerned, but all held together by the integral margins. There are as many of the intermeshing reeds or'fingers as there are ducts in the tracker bar, and as above indicated each one of the reeds or fingers 4, 4, 4, 4:, etc. covers a corresponding opening 3, 3, 3, 3, etc.

Placed over the strip of metal 5, where it is in position upon the tracker bar'l. is a cover (3, having a pair of shoulders 7, 7, restoirthe margins of the strip 5, and provided with the flanges 8, 8, by which the cover 6, is secured in position, as by means of the screws 9, 9, etc. The cover when in position forms a chamber 10, in which are located all of the reeds or fingers 4, t, 4', i, etc. It should be here stated that the cover 6, is made of some good insulating material as hard rubber or fiber.

Into the back of the cover 6, are screwed the adjustable contact points 11, in such a manner that there is a contact point located just over the free end of each reed or finger -t, 4, I, t, etc. as shown. Each contact point 11, is adjusted to such a position that the slightest movement of the finger or reed beneath itwill cause a metallic contact between the two, though when such reed or finger is quiesccntthe contact will be broken. In Figs. 1 and 2, a reed is shown making contact with a contact point as would be the case in practice, when the corresponding duct is opened for the admission of air. Located upon the outer end of the contact points or screws are the binding nuts 12, 12, 12 etc, from each one of which there leads a circuit wire to some electrical translating device as a motor or a magnet 13, from which the circuit leads to a source of electrical supply as the battery It, and thence to the metallic strip 5, as shown; ordinarily the circuit wires are insulated and brought together in a cable as at 15, so as to occupy as little space as possible.

The formillustrated in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 does not differ in principle from that illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 and is only for the purpose of providing a more convenient structure for an 88-note tracker bar. In practice the 65-note tracker bar has six of the ducts to the inch while the 88-note tracker bar has nine ducts to the inch. With six ducts to the inch the adjustable contacts 11, are so located that they are not crowded, and plenty of room is left for the binding nuts 12, 12. However in the case of the 88- note tracker bar the same form would necessitate the location of the nuts so close together as to make it inconvenient to adjust, and possibly cause local cross-circuit. In order to avoid this I have provided a rear extension 16, upon the tracker bar 17, and lead the ducts 18, into this extension where they open into the lateral openings 19, 19, 19, 19, etc. alternately upon opposite sides of the extension at the same time staggering the openings as clearly shown in Fig. 4. The two strips of elastic metal 20, 20 with their reeds or fingers are then located upon the sides of the extension 16, and they in turn are held in posit-ion by the insulating covers 21, 21, which latter provide the chambers 22, 22, in which the free ends of the reeds or fingers may vibrate. The aperture 23 through the strips 20, 20 and extension 16, makes the two chambers communicating. The adjustable contact points 24, 24:, etc. are located in the covers over the reeds or fingers and the electrical circuits include the battery 25 and individual motors or magnets 26. In practice the chambers 10, 22, 22 are connected with some Vacuum producing means as for example a special pneumatic by means of the tubes 27' and 28.

In operation with a perforated music sheet traveling over the tracker board, and the chambers 10, or 22, 22 exhausted, the partial vacuum will extend into and will be equalized in all of the ducts 2 and 18, so

long as an imperforate part of the sheet covers the ducts. When however a perforation vents one of the ducts air will rush in and striking the corresponding reed or finger, and because of its completely covering said duct will suddenly snap it open and the continuous flow of the air into the vacuum chamber while the outer duct is open, will hold it in contact with the corresponding contact pointand thus close the electric circuit through the proper motor or magnet, the circuit remaining closed so long as the corresponding duct remains vented by a perforation in the music sheet. Immediately upon the closing of the duct by an imperforate part of the music sheet the vacuum will immediately. equalize in the duct and chamber and elasticity of the reed or finger will cause it to snap back to its position over the duct-opening and break the contact with the contact point and consequently break the circuit. In practice the reeds are highly elastic and very thin, so that whenever air passes from the outer duct opening to the vacuum chamber, it effects a sort of explosive opening of the reed or finger, because such reed is made to cover or close the duct and not to vibrate Within it. The ma ets or motors 13 or 26 may be utilized tor operating the valves of the pneumatics of a pneumatic player, or the hammer actuating. device of an electric player. I have only shown a single unit in circuit and that diagrammatically. It should be understood that there are as many such translating devices as there are ducts in the tracker bar.

It will thus be seen that by my invention I am able to overcome or avoid all of the present ditficulties incident to the use of rubber tubes in penumatic players and of the use of delicate wire fingers or reader contacts in electrical players, to both of which classes of instruments my invention is equally well adapted. Again,my invention lends itself readily to the location of the music roll holder at a distance from the instrument, since it is only necessary to lead the cable of wires from the contacts points to the translating devices i. e. magnets or motors, upon or in the instrument and back through the battery and a single return circuit to the metallic reed or finger strip. In such a case the vacuum pneumatic for the chambers 10 or 22, 22' may be actuated by the same motor which operates the take-up roll on the roll holder whereupon the same may be located.

As an article of manufacture the tracker consists of the bar 1 or 17, with the insulating cover or covers 6 or 21, 21 with the adjustable contacts 11 or 24, 24, and the metallic strip or strips containing reeds, and such tracker may be readily substituted for any of the pneumatic or electric trackers now in use by making the proper electrical connections to the sound producing devices as above indicated.

The principle involved in my invention is applicable to a wide range of uses; as for example, whenever it is desired to close an electrical'circuit this may be done by causing a variation of pressure upon opposite sides of the reed valve to bring the same into contact with the contact point adjacent thereto; again by varying the elasticity of the reeds, i. e. by making them stifier and thicker they may be made to respond to different degrees of pressure.

I claim:

1. As an article of manufacture, a tracker bar having a plurality of air ducts therethrough, a plurality of metallic reeds for closing said ducts, an insulating cover for said ducts, said cover forming with said tracker bar. a closed chamber and a plurality of adjustable contact points pro ecting through said cover for individual engagement with said reeds.

9,. A tracker bar, provided with a plurality of air ducts, a metallic reed for normally closing each of said ducts, an insulating cover secured to the rear of said bar and forming therewith a vacuum chamber, an electrical contact point extending through said cover and located adjacent to each of said reeds, a translating device, and an electrical circuit including said reed, contact point and translating device, whereby a flow of air through said duct will cause reed to close said circuit.

3. In a tracker bar'device for automatic musical instruments the combination of a closed chamber a plurality of air ducts, leading to said chamber, a metallic reed for closing each of said ducts respectively w1th1n said chamber, an electrical contact point for each of said reeds, means for adjusting said points with relation to their respective reeds, a translating device and an electrical circuit including reed, point and translating device.

4. In a tracker bar device, the combination of a tracker bar, a plurality of air ducts extending therethrough, a vacuum chamber i'ntowhich said ducts open, an elastic metallic reed normally closing each of said ducts respectively from said chamber, acontact point for each of said reedslocated within said chamber, a translating device and an electric circuit including said reed, point and translating device, whereby the passage of air through said duct into said chamber will cause said reed to contact with said point and close said electric circuit.

5. In a tracker bar, the combination of a vacuum chamber, an air duct leading thereto, ametallic reed for normally closing said duct, a normally open electric circuit, a translating device insaid circuit, and means for permlttinga flow of air through said duct into said chamber to open said reed and close saidcircuit.

6. In a tracker bar, the combination of an air duct and a vacuum chamber, a metallic reed for normally closing said duct from said chamber, a normally open electric circuit, a translating device in said circuit and means for closing said circuit when said reed is opened by the flow of air through.

said duct into said chamber.

7. In a tracker bar, the combination of a vacuum chamber, a plurality of air, ducts leading from the face of said bar to said chamber, a metallic reed for normally closing each of said air ducts, a contact point within said chamber forming with said reed a circuit closer, actuated by the admission of air through said duct to said vacuum chamber, to close an external electric circuit.

8. In a tracker bar, the combination of a plurality of air ducts leading from the face of said bar to its rear, a cover of insulating material secured to the rear of said bar and formin therewith a closed chamber at the rear 0 said bar, adjustable contact points extending through said cover to the interior of said chamber in substantial alinement with said ducts respectively, an elastic metallic reed for each of said ducts respectively, and located within said chamber to normally close said ducts from said chamber, said reeds in conjunction with their corresponding contact points formin circuit closers, and an external branch eFe circuit for each of said circuit closers.

9. In a tracker bar device for musical instruments, the combination of a tracker bar, a vacuum chamber formed on the rear side of said bar, a plurality of air ducts leading from the face of said bar to said chamber,

jmetallic reeds normally closing said ducts from said chamber, a separate external branch electrical circuit for and including each of said reeds respectively and means for closingsaid circuits, by, the opening of the corresponding reeds.

10 In a tracker bar device, the combination of a tracker bar, a vacuum chamber, an

air duct leading through said tracker bar.

to said chamber, a reed normally closing said air duct from chamber, and actuated by the ingress of air to said chamber to opensaid duct to said chamber and simultaneously close an external electric circuit.

11. As a new article of manufacture, a tracker bar provided with a plurality of air ducts, an insulating cover forming a closed -chamber in communication with said ducts,

a plurality of metallic elastic reeds within said chamber and normally closing said ducts, and a plurality of adjustable cont-act points extending through said cover into said chamber to form with said reeds a series of electrical circuit closers.

12. As a new article of manufacture, a

ctric q, oews;

vacuum chamber provided with an inlet air This specification signed and witnessed d}\11ct,kaen electrical circlit closler t ithin sialild this 3rd day of August 1910;

0 am r consistm 0 an' e as 16 meta 'c reed normally cl0sng said air duct, and an LOUIS SANDERS 5 adjustable contact point projecting through Witnesses:

the wall ofsaid chamber to a point in close G. Howm'm DAVIS,

proximity to said reed. GERTRUDE PETERSEN. 

